My Kingdom for a Leader

I do not think I have ever been so sick at a game in my life.  The UK team that showed up for this game is NOT the UK team I cheer for.  I am still the same fan, but someone took my team and replaced them with a bunch of frauds.  I want MY team back.  I want the team that was suppose to fight like there is no tomorrow right out of the gate and right up until the final horn sounds.  I want the team that not only out played and out hit LSU a few years ago when they were on their course for a National Championship, but also out scored them.

Where did that team go?  I’ll tell you where it went.  It went somewhere else when Woodson, Woodyard and company had to move on due to expired eligibility.  The replacements of Hartline and Johnson simply frail in comparison when it comes to qualities like heart and leadership.  Granted, it isn’t entirely their fault.  But it is on the leaders of the team to make sure all the heads are in the right place.  It is their job to make sure the guys know they will take it to who ever is in front of them and leave it all on the field.  And it isn’t like they haven’t been shown the way because Woodson and company were there to  show this group.  All they had to do was step into the shoes. 

I watched Micah Johnson a lot yesterday and plan to review the tape again.  But I am sure I will see the same thing there as I did from the stands.  Micah flies around with the best of them but was generally ALWAYS out of position and never within his assignment.  You can not have your stud leaving the rest of the team to make up for his mistakes.  Its suppose to be the other way around!  Woodyard had his nose on the ball on almost every play and made up for a ton of poor play around him.  He led by example. 

I was one of Mike Hartline’s biggest supporters last year.  It wasn’t that I thought he was that great, it was just that there were so many other issues and there was no one on the team that could do it better.  Mike did make improvements and, as I assumed, he is a little stronger, a little more accurate and a little smarter.  But that doesn’t mean its enough when it comes to leading his team against a top flight team.  You have to be able to command the huddle and have your team ready on each play and Hartline simply does not show those qualities.  Also, while he is a little better, he still does not have what it takes to see the field and deliver to the correct route.  There were many many times guys were wide open on easy passes and he chose to go to a more covered guy with a more difficult pass.  His team mates HAVE to know this even more than an average fan like myself.  I also knew EVERY TIME what sort of play he was checking into. The criteria given to him to check is so elementary that all a team has to do is move one guy two steps out of the box or up on the line to show blitz to get him to check into an off tackle run.  UK needs someone that can take chances against a UF.  Hartline is the safe bet and the calls for him are as predictable as the sun every morning. 

There is no question that this team is more talented than a few years ago on paper.  There is no question that this team is not as talented as UF.  But the reason this team is 31-0 in the first quarter worse than UF has to do with who is leading the team.  And guys like Randell Cobb and Wyndham are the reason UF was only 10-7 better after that.  There have got to be more like them someowhere on that bench that can replace the current frauds.